A trailer for the upcoming Season 2 of Altered Carbon doesn’t reveal a lot, but it sure looks cool. It has a Matrix vibe that should work well for the dark, cyberpunk thriller when it returns to Netflix on February 27.
When it was announced there would be a second season, but Joel Kinnaman (Robocop 2014, Suicide Squad) wouldn’t return as the lead character, I was doubtful the show could continue successfully without Kinnaman’s strong performance (or Poe for that matter). Then learning that Anthony Mackie (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, The Adjustment Bureau) would take over the role of Takeshi Kovacs, all was right again.
In a world where no one really dies anymore thanks to cortical stacks, replacing an actor of a primary character seems as normal as downloading to a new sleeve. Another resurrection we’re looking forward to is that of Poe, the AI owner of the Raven Hotel. Actor Chris Conner made Poe a thoroughly enjoyable character so we’re glad he’s coming back despite his deletion.
The main element of the trailer is Mackie’s dire voiceover channeling Takeshi Kovacs, “This is a ghost story. Technology has conquered death. With endless future, comes endless past. We are trailed by spectres. They cling to us like shadows. But if you chase after your ghosts, you might become one.”
The dark, abstract imagery works perfectly with Mackie’s monologue. Considering that Altered Carbon Season 1 was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Special Visual Effects, we expect the imagery for Season 2 to be just as impressive.
NETFLIX REVEALS PLOT FOR SEASON 2
Here’s what Netflix had to say about the plot for the second season:
Season Two of the sophisticated and compelling sci-fi drama finds Takeshi Kovacs (Anthony Mackie), the lone surviving soldier of a group of elite interstellar warriors, continuing his centuries old quest to find his lost love Quellcrist Falconer (Renée Elise Goldsberry). After decades of planet-hopping and searching the galaxy, Kovacs finds himself recruited back to his home planet of Harlan’s World with the promise of finding Quell. Haunted by his past and responsible for investigating a series of brutal murders, Kovacs is stunned to discover his new mission to solve the crime and his pursuit to find Quell are one and the same. With the help of his loyal A.I. Poe (Chris Conner), Kovacs must now partner with new allies to outwit his enemies and find the truth: Who is Quellcrist Falconer?
ALTERED CARBON ANIME SERIES
If a second season of Altered Carbon isn’t enough to fill your cortical stack, Netflix is merging the popular cyberpunk series with one of its most popular categories: anime. Altered Carbon: Resleeved is expected to hit the streaming service this spring, although no release date has been announced yet.
Animation studio Anima will produce the anime series. Jo Nakajima will direct. We’ll let you know when we have more details. For now, here’s the trailer for Altered Carbon Season 2.
